Daniel Kruse Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Marina Del Rey, 4130 Del Rey Ave., Us

• Manage multiple teams of CG Artists working AAA game projects using Unreal. • Trained and delivered feedback to artists. • Presented project milestones to clients.• Designed realtime Visual Effects, lighting, models, look-developed shaders using Unreal Engine.• Troubleshoot and resolve technical Issues, ensuring optimal performance.• Quality Controlled sequences to ensure all work was completed on time and of the highest quality.

Marina Del Rey, 4130 Del Rey Ave., Us

• Assisting in setting up and creating a cinematic department while mentoring and guiding artists.• Framed shots, and managed lenses and proper focal lengths to create story through composition.• Develop and implement high-quality lighting that aligns with the artistic direction of the games.• Create optimized lighting setups for environments, characters, and cinematics within Unreal Engine.• Troubleshoot and resolve lighting-related technical Issues, ensuring optimal performance.

Santa Monica, Ca, Us

Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Us

• Responsible for setting up environmental lighting using Lumin and Nanite Meshes.• Implemented Unreal MetaHumans and used motion capture data to drive realistic action simulations.• Creating real-time interactive Niagara FX simulations, including fire, explosions, and interactive gunfire.• Using Sequencer to trigger events for realistic visuals and interactive scenarios.• Quality Controlled assets and animation to ensure all work was completed on time and of the highest quality.

Irvine, Ca, Us

• Art Directed characters and environments for in-game engine content for Overwatch and World of Warcraft.• Art Directed sequences, set up light rigs and Nuke comp templates.• Lead Lighter/Comp for Safe Haven, Zero Hour, Warcraft Rumble, and in-game engine Overwatch 2 cinematics.• Key Lighter for Overwatch animated shorts and World of Warcraft pre-rendered cinematics.

• Managed teams of CG Artists throughout post-production on Skylanders Thrill.• Art Directed sequences, models, and shaders, set up light rigs and Nuke comp templates.• Checked assets and animation to ensure all shots were completed on time and to the highest quality.

Culver City, California, Us

• Managed teams of CG Artists throughout post-production for The Man in the High Castle (pilot), Hemlock Grove (season 3), Castle (season 7), and various St. Ives Lotion TV spots.• Art Directed assets and guaranteed sequence accuracy and timeliness.• Art Directed light rigs, look-developed shaders, and models for a team of CG Artist.• Adjusted models, look developed assets, rigged and animated assets. Created dynamic cloud FX

San Francisco, Ca, Us

• Lit CG characters and elements to match live-action footage using Katana and RenderMan.• Problem-solved 8k rendering issues for stereo 180-degree visuals. • Projects included Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a Dalian Wanda Group 5D project.

•New corporate image and Ship Design project for Royal Caribbean, Toyota Truck Month, and 2014 Honda Civic ads. • Look-developed V-ray and Mental Ray shaders, and lit shots to match live-action footage photo-realistically. • Camera tracked plates and helped convert CAD models into renderable assets for Mental Ray.

Burbank, Ca, Us

• Used RenderMan to light shots to match the look and style created by the Art Director.• Finished shots using Nuke and adjusted stereoscopically. • Projects included Wreck-it Ralph and Frozen.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Look developed Vray shaders and lit shots to photorealistically match live action footage.

London, England, Gb

Look developed Arnold shaders for a team of CG lighting Artist so that we can photorealistically match live action footage. Used Arnold with Maya to light shots."Surprise" - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wIZp_E2CxQ

Vancouver, Bc, Ca

• Responsible for lighting and compositing CG elements together and stereoscopically converted final composites. • Projects included The Amazing Spider-Man and Arthur Christmas.

Beverly Hills, California, Us

• Collaborated with the Director and Producer to ensure their vision was enhanced with 3D and 2D effects work.• Created 3D and 2D Pipeline, Art Directed Lighting Rigs, Models and shaders for Fat Kid Rules the World.

Managed a team of CG artist through out post production. Checked assets, and animation against notes given from the VFX Supervisor and Director to make sure all shots were completed on time. Created light rigs and look developed shaders for a team of CG lighting Artist so that they could photorealistically match live action footage. Helped problem solve and create lighting pipeline procedures.

Created light rigs and look developed shaders for a team of CG lighting Artist so that they can photorealistically match live action footage, and helped problem solve and create lighting pipeline procedures.

Using Lighting and shader Look Development to create CG elements that photorealistically match live action footage, while managing a team of Camera trackers that are creating 3d cameras that match the movements of the live action camera for seamless integration of CG elements.

Us

Responsible for rotoscoping and keying actors for change of backgrounds, for a Mattell Hot Wheels TV commercial.

Responsible for realizing the Directors vision, and managing a team of visual effects artists. Directed second unit background plate photography, supervised 3d modeling, texturing, lighting, animation, rotoscoping and compositing.

Us

Edited digitally recorded audio into smaller clips for easier use in training programs for the US Marine Corp. Also created and acquired graphics for use in training programs for the US Marine Corp.

Washington, Dc, Us

Production team member for driver-safety project, ARTBA Workzone Safety for the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Lead compositor of driving simulations, and secondary digital video editor. Was cameraman, mounted video cameras to vehicle for mobile video shoot, and labeled videotapes.Production team member. Produced on-line training, LM-21, for Lockheed Martin Corporation. Set up and tested Cleaner Live digital video-capture system, and audiovisual equipment. Supported the California POST II project, a commercial CD-ROM product developed for police officer training.Digital Artist (May 2001 – August 2001)Produced animated logo for the Digital Media group (DMG). DMG is the production department for Global Learning Systems.Assisted the director in lighting, camera set up and audio levels. Set up equipment foreach video shoot for HealthMark. This was a medical training CD-ROM thatdiscussed aspects of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. The subjectmatter/content of this project required additional professionalism and sensitivity inediting the audio portions.Production Assistant (May 2000 – August 2000) was Electronic Learning FacilitatorsCreated a blue screen composite demo for a Computer Training CD-ROM for retail salesmen; resulted in contract award with Intel. Team member for TrainLogic.com project. TrainLogic.com offers safety and security training to the public, private, and educational sectors. This project designed and developed real-time instructionalweb-based training. Edited audio and shot digital still images for the production department. Also did graphics work and minor Flash programming. Progressed to assistant video compositor.

Masters Fine Arts, Visual Effects

Ba, Imaging And Digital Art, Animation And Interactivity